In honor of International Talk Like A Pirate Day, I’d like to ask a question about the pirate dialect of English. Most pirate sentences begin with a standard pirate-sounding hedge to lend authenticity.

A frequent hedge is arr, but the variations yar, yarr, and yargh are also quite common. Is there a distinction in meaning between arr and the yar variants, or are these simply different spellings of the same exclamation? For instance, is yar a contraction of yes and arr, therefore implying an affirmation or agreement?

JeffSahol be right, tis usually a placeholder but nay, it be not as 'like' in ValSpeak for tis always an exclamation. Ye hear many a pirate say "Arrr!" meanin' aye, but Long John Silver ere, ee meant it oft times as nay!, as ye may see with yer own pirate eyes and ears in this ere video clip.

According to the Dictionary of English Nautical Language Database,
"yare," also pronounced "yahr" and derived from the Old High German
word, "garo," meaning "ready," refers to a well-designed,
easy-to-handle boat. "Yar" is also connected to the Gaelic word,
"garbh," meaning "rugged," which accounts for the naming of the River
Yar on the Isle of Wight.